Physicist Defy Laws of Light

[Garr]

The discovery, details of which appear in the Jan. 8 issue of the journal Applied Physics Letters, defies a key principle that holds that light cannot pass through a hole much smaller than its wavelength. In fact, the BC team forced visible light, which has a wavelength of between 380-750 nanometers, to travel down a cable whose diameter is smaller than even the low end of that range.

The researchers say their achievement opens the door to a wide array of new technologies, from high-efficiency, inexpensive solar cells to microscopic light-based switching devices for use in optical computing. The technology could even be used to help some blind people see, the physicists say.

http://www.physorg.com/news87471120.html for the rest of the article.

[adam atherton]

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